Hurricane Andy
Hurricane Andy is the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclone of the 2017 Great Lakes Hurricane Season so far, and among one of the most powerful blizzards in the 2016 - 17 North American Winter. Meteorological History On January 16th, an Alberta clipper started to behave unusually. The storm's forward speed started to slow down and it started to gain strength. The storm gained gale-force winds later that day. By this time, the NHC labeled the system as a Potential Tropical Cyclone (PTC) and started issuing advisories on the system. Tropical Storm Watches then started to get issued for the northern shore of Michigan along Lake Superior, along with Winter Storm Watches, considering the arctic air in the forecast equation. The next day, the storm had a warm-core center and 50 MPH sustained winds, and the NHC upgraded the PTC to Tropical Storm Andy. Upon the upgrade, all the Tropical Storm Watches were upgraded to Tropical Storm Warnings, and Winter Storm Warnings got issued as well, with forecasts calling for up to 15 to 28 inches of snow. By this time, the new Storm Surge Warnings got issued along the Lake Superior coastline, now being out of the prototype stage. The NHC predicted storm surge of 3 to 5 feet along the coast. On January 18th, Andy made its first landfall as a 60 MPH tropical storm. As Andy traveled across the UP of Michigan and was heading toward Lake Michigan, the storm maintained a stable intensity at 60 MPH despite the cold snow pack on the ground, and intensified quickly to a 70 MPH tropical storm upon entering the warm waters of Lake Michigan. Early on January 19th, Andy became a 75 MPH Category 1 Hurricane. The projected path of Hurricane Andy had the storm making a right turn towards the West Coast of Michigan. By this time, Hurricane Warnings were put up along the western shoreline of Michigan, along with Winter Storm Warnings. The Storm Surge Warnings issued had storm surge up to 15 feet in the forecasts. On January 19th, Hurricane Andy intensified to a Category 2 hurricane and started to make the turn east towards Michigan. Before landfall, Andy intensified to a Category 3 major hurricane, becoming the earliest recorded major hurricane in the Great Lakes basin and the earliest recorded major hurricane overall in the Western Hemisphere. On January 20th, Andy made landfall as a 120 MPH Category 3 hurricane near Saint Joseph, Michigan. Andy started to weaken upon landfall and was an 80 MPH Category 1 Hurricane by January 21st near Jackson, Michigan. Andy maintained an 80 MPH Category 1 intensity as it crossed the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, while dumping as much as 4 to 5 feet of snow, with some rain on top of it for where the core passed over. Later that same day, Andy reemerged into the warmer waters of Lake Erie and rapidly re-intensified to a 105 MPH Category 2 hurricane. From there, Andy continued to rapidly intensify throughout January 22nd as it brought severe storm surge to the Lake Erie coastline along with heavy snow. Late on January 22nd, Andy became a 160 MPH Category 5 hurricane, with a projected path towards Buffalo, New York. Early on January 23rd, just before the storm's third landfall, Andy reached his peak intensity of 180 MPH. The storm made landfall in Buffalo the same day and did not weaken over land. It soon moved into the waters of Lake Ontario and it churned its waters with a steady 180 MPH Category 5 intensity. Before its landfall in Sackets Harbor, New York, Andy started to weaken as it underwent an eyewall replacement cycle, weakening the storm to a 150 MPH Category 4 Hurricane. The storm made landfall late on January 24th as a 150 MPH Category 4 hurricane and then started to diminish rapidly as it moved inland. On January 25th, Andy was an 80 MPH Category 1 hurricane undergoing transition to an extratropical cyclone and at 12:00 PM EST, Andy was no longer tropical, and the NHC stopped tracking the remnants late on January 25th, with no chance of regaining tropical characteristics. The storm caused $4 billion in damages, took 33 lives, and dropped as much as 90 inches of snow in some locations. Preparations Michigan Upon being classified as a tropical cyclone, Tropical Storm Warnings were issued for most of the Lake Superior coastline, along with Storm Surge warnings for storm surge of 3 to 5 feet. People in Marquette, Michigan hunkered boats down as rough surf would likely harm the boats. People in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan near the Lake Michigan coastline were placed under evacuation orders, with locations including South Haven, St. Joseph, and more. Snow plows and extra utility crews were sent to the state due to expected power outage and roads to be impassible due to heavy snowfall. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder declared a State of Emergency anticipating the severe weather. Ohio As Andy was crossing the LP of Michigan, evacuations were ordered along the Lake Erie coastline as the storm was expected to explosively intensify once it entered the waters of Lake Erie. Tolls were waived on the Ohio Turnpike in order to get people away from coastal areas in a quick and orderly fashion. Like with Michigan, extra utility and snow plows were sent to the state of Ohio to help clear the roads. Governor Kasich of Ohio declared a State of Emergency as well. All coastal towns were boarded up and hunkering down for the storm. Pennsylvania and New York After declaring a State of Emergency, following Kasich's lead, Pennsylvania was preparing for the worst as coastal evacuations were also issued for its coastal towns. It took all the same actions as Ohio and Michigan did. New York followed Pennsylvania's lead to prepare, following the same actions as Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania did. Ontario, Canada Environment Canada issued its first statement on Hurricane Andy as it was crossing the LP of Michigan. They warned that this storm could be catastrophic and life-threatening to those near the Lake Erie coastline. Canadian officials ordered evacuations of all coastal towns along the Lake Erie and Lake Ontario coastlines, fearing the worst. Impact Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York In the U.P of Michigan, Andy's main impacts were with heavy snow, which accumulated up to 42 inches in some places, with drifts as high as 7 feet. Andy's storm surge as a hurricane in Lake Michigan caused extensive coastal flooding. Many coastal properties along the coastline oh Lake Michigan devastated coastal properties and neighborhoods. When Andy moved into Lake Erie, storm surge caused severe damage on Kelly's Island and Put-In-Bay, causing widespread severe damage across the islands. As Andy became a Category 4 storm, storm surge devastated parts of Cleveland, Erie, and a lot of coastal towns bordering Lake Erie. The worst damage occurred in Buffalo, New York. In addition to the blinding snow and blizzard conditions, devastating storm surge along with destructive winds caused widespread destruction across many neighborhoods in and around Buffalo. In Buffalo alone, over 1,320 homes were destroyed, 2,300 with major damage, and 4,560 other homes with minor to moderate damage. In the U.S, damage from Brad totaled $3 billion. Canada Although Brad never made landfall in Canada, Brad's storm surge caused extreme damage in some Canadian towns and cities. Fort Erie was among the worst hit cities in Canada, with over 800 homes destroyed, 1,700 homes with severe damage, and 2,816 other homes with minor to moderate damage. Damage in Canada totaled $1 billion. Records Andy is most well known for being the earliest Category 3 or stronger hurricane ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere. Andy also holds the record for being the strongest January hurricane to ever make landfall anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. Andy is the earliest known major hurricane to ever make landfall in the United States in recorded history. Retirement Due to extensive damage and devastating affects across the United States and Canada, the name Andy has been retired and will never be used again for a Great Lakes Hurricane. The name Andy has been replaced with Arlene for the 2023 Great Lakes Hurricane Season. Category:Snow Storms Category:Snowcanes Category:Unusual tropical cyclones Category:Tropical storm